16 Southeast Valley schools win A+ awards

Southeast Valley public schools dominated the A+ School of Excellence Awards in 2014 from the Arizona Educational Foundation. Learn more about the schools. ...

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Chandler Unified School District

Basha High School

>> 5990 S. Val Vista Drive, Chandler

>> Founded in 2002, Basha High was the third of four high schools in Chandler.

>> The school is named after Eddie Basha Jr., who donated millions to Chandler Unified School District before he died in 2013.

>> Basha High offers advanced placement classes and is well known for its speech and debate team. The girls softball team won state championships in 2008 and 2009.

>> Enrollment in Basha High in October 2012 was 2,494.

Chandler Unified School District

Tarwater Elementary

>> 2300 S. Gardner Drive, Chandler

>> A Mandarin dual-language immersion program will begin in the school year 2014-15. Participating kindergarteners will learn in Mandarin half of the day and English the other half. The program will begin with two kindergarten classrooms.

>> Tarwater hosts Art Masterpiece, a volunteer-based art-education program in which K-6 students each month are introduced to a new artist. They learn how to describe and analyze art work. Then they apply what they learned by creating their own artwork.

Chandler Unified School District

Hancock Elementary

>> 2425 S. Pleasant Drive, Chandler

>> The school has programs to meet the needs of accelerated
students. Above-grade-level classes are offered in reading and math for
children in K-6.

>> Hancock received an "A" grade from the Arizona Department of Education.

Tempe Union High School District

Corona del Sol High

>> 1001 E. Knox Road, Tempe

>> Activities abound at Corona del Sol. They include the Anime Club (Japanese culture); Build Africa, in which students raise money for buildings in Kenya and Uganda; PAWS, which provides help to dogs and cats; a Quiz Bowl to promote academics and an engineering and robotics club as well as a Neuroscience Club.

>> The dance concert "Dancing for a Cure" is May 1 and 2. Tickets are on sale.

>>The "Gatsby" prom is May 3 at the Phoenix Art Museum.

Tempe Union High School District

Tempe High

>> Tempe High is one of seven high schools in Tempe and has an enrollment of 1,417 students in grades 9-12.

>> 1730 S. Mill Ave., Tempe

>> Sixty percent of students are Hispanic, and total minority enrollment comprises 87 percent of the student body.

>> Students have the opportunity to take International Baccalaureate courses and exams. IB participation rate is 13 percent.

>> Economically disadvantaged students make up 41 percent of the student body.

Tempe Union High School District

Mountain Pointe High

>> 4201 E. Knox Road, Ahwatukee

>> The school opened in 1991, and its first senior class graduated in 1994.

>> It is a closed campus for those in grades nine, 10 and 11.

>> Its football team won the Division 1 Arizona State Championship by defeating the defending champions, Chandler's Hamilton High, on Nov. 30, 2013 by a score of 42-19. The team ended the year with a 14-0 record and was ranked in the top 10 of high school football teams across the United States.

Mesa Public Schools

Falcon Hill Elementary

>> 1645 N. Sterling, Mesa

>> There are 549 students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.

>> The Native American Education Program in Mesa Public Schools is
open to all Native American students. The goal is for each student to
reach his or her maximum potential. Staff in the district work with the
education departments of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa and Fort McDowell
communities.

>> The Dairy Queen on the northwestern corner of Recker and McKellips is donating 10 percent of its profits to Falcon Hill.

Mesa Public Schools

Harvey L. Taylor Junior High

>> 705 S. 32nd St., Mesa

>> Taylor Junior High is one of 11 junior highs in Mesa Public
Schools. It was named after Harvey L. Taylor, superintendent of Mesa
Public Schools from 1933-53. He oversaw construction of Mesa Junior
High, while believing that students of that age deserved special
attention. He was later vice president of Brigham Young University and
died in 1983.

>> Its mascot is the Trojans and the school colors are gold and black.

>> Principal is Gina Piraino.

Mesa Public Schools

Zaharis Elementary School

>> 9410 E. McKellips Road, Mesa

>> Students raised money for the hungry by running a lemonade stand. The school presented a check for $414 to actor and musician Jeff Bridges, an advocate for the hungry, when the star visited the school in September 2013. Bridges played the guitar while the children sang the song, "It's Amazing What a Little Love Can Do."

>> The school also has been visited by Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer Breeja Larson.

>> The school has 960 students. Students conferred with city officials in planning a unique park called GRO 1000 Botanical Walkway in Mesa. Scotts Miracle-Gro contributed a grant of $40,000 toward the park.

Mesa Public Schools

Red Mountain Ranch Elementary School

>> 6650 E. Raftriver St., Mesa

>> The school is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It mission is "Everyone learning, every day."

>> Opportunities to learn go beyond formal academics to include art, physical education, music and computer classes. Students have the opportunity to audition to play with the Mesa Youth Orchestra at Mesa Arts Center.

Mesa Public Schools

Red Mountain High School

>> 7301 E. Brown Road, Mesa

>> Artwork of Red Mountain High School students is on display at the Creative and Performing Arts Building, 155 N. Center St., through May 1.

>> Artwork also is on display at the school's Spring Art Show in the Media Center May 12-16. Among the first-place winners is John Sabbagh for his charcoal, "Ghosts of Lebanon."

>> Mali Cao, a sophomore and a member of the yearbook staff, received an honorary mention in the Student Life and Traditions category for her photo "Activity at Lunch," in the Jostens/Wolfe's Camera Photo Contest.

Kyrene School District

Kyrene Akimel A-al Middle

>> 2720 E. Liberty Lane, Ahwatukee

>> The school, which opened in 1992, draws its name from the Akimel O'odham (Pima) people, and it means "children of the river."

>> The school's motto is "High Standards, High Achievement, High Expectations For All."

Higley Unified School District

Cortina Elementary School

>> 19680 S. 188th St., Queen Creek

>> The school, in the Higley Unified School District, opened in August 2006 as the seventh school to join Higley.

>> Its mascot is the Tigers.

>> One of the activities is the Bully Busters, whose job it is to extinguish bullying by helping others. Students reduce bullying by keeping an eye out for others. The group's activities include making videos and posters and presenting plays.

Eduprize School LLC

Eduprize

>> 4567 W. Roberts Road, Queen Creek

>> Eduprize is a charter school for 1,801 students in grades K-8.

>> The school is rated "A" by the Arizona Department of Education.

>> In the most recent AIMS test, the school rated 88 percent in math, meaning that many students met or exceeded standards.

>> The school rated 92 percent in reading.

>> The student body has 6 percent of students paying for reduced lunches.

Gilbert Public Schools

Greenfield Junior High

>> 101 S. Greenfield Road, Gilbert

>> The school has 968 students in grades seven and eight.

>> The staff includes teachers for art and dance, and a gifted specialist.

>> Greenfield eighth-grade students participated in a battle for the tastiest cupcake by holding the Second Annual Cupcake Wars.

Gilbert Public Schools

Playa del Rey Elementary School

>> 550 N. Horne St., Gilbert

>> The students strive to practice five lessons, inspired by a poem by Julie Ann Ford. Those five lessons are: Learn to laugh, learn to listen, learn to let go, learn to love and learn to live.

>> The school's principal, Robyn Conrad, is on the board of directors of the National Association of Elementary School Principals. She was named National Distinguished Principal of Arizona in 2010.

Southeast Valley public schools dominated the annual A+ School of Excellence Awards from the Arizona Educational Foundation.

Sixteen of the 34 public schools honored statewide are from the Southeast Valley.

The foundation recognizes public schools that it regards as outstanding, and it strives to create a framework of successful programs and practices that other schools could adopt.

Schools are evaluated on student focus and support, school culture, active teaching and learning, curriculum, leadership, community and parent involvement and assessment data.

Evaluation of schools is based on a lengthy application from the school and a site visit by a team of trained judges.

Winning schools receive $500 and a banner designating it as an A+ School of Excellence winner. Staff and faculty at the award-winning schools will be eligible for partial scholarships from Argosy University Phoenix.

The winners in the Southeast Valley in Chandler Unified School District are Basha High School, Robert & J. Danell Tarwater Elementary School and T. Dale Hancock Elementary School.

Three winners in the Tempe Union High School School District are Corona del Sol High School and Tempe High in Tempe and Mountain Pointe High in Ahwatukee.

The Arizona Educational Foundation is a non-profit that fosters excellence in education by administering statewide programs that enhance the capabilities of Arizona's schools. It works to strengthen the teaching profession, design high-quality curricula, stimulate student achievement and celebrate the successes in K-12 public education in Arizona.